‘Mummy!’
Nancy bolted from her seat, tripping over the step into the room as she ran to Jack in his bed. He was sitting upright, wide-eyed and clutching his sheet. She sat down on the bed next to him and instantly drew him into her arms, at which he recoiled and looked at her. It was difficult to judge Jack because on occasion he would be fine with the comforting touch, and other times he wouldn’t. There didn’t seem to be a pattern with it – not one that Nancy had noticed anyway. So she always tried. And it always hurt when he pulled away from her. ‘What’s up?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t know where you were,’ he replied, his chin quivering.
‘Baby, I was only on the balcony. I wasn’t far, just over there.’ She pointed to the balcony to reiterate just how close she was. ‘See?’
‘That’s Cameron,’ he said, pointing to Cameron who was standing in the doorway of the balcony looking a little sheepish.
‘Hey buddy,’ he said, giving Jack a half salute, half wave.
‘Where’s Aiden?’
It was the first time Jack had used his name. Normally he would call him that little boy. Nancy looked at Cameron to see if he noticed this little development. He raised his eyebrows which suggested he did.
‘He’s at the kids’ club,’ Nancy answered. ‘You remember it there?’ She wondered whether it was the right thing to do to mention this to him as she wasn’t sure of his emotional stability today, but he seemed OK now that he knew where she was.
‘Yeah, I didn’t like that lady.’
Nancy laughed as she recalled the headphones incident – it felt like a million years ago that that had happened, not seven days. ‘That’s right bubs, you didn’t like her. But there are other ladies and men there to play with, so Aiden will be OK, I’m sure he is having lots of fun.’ She paused and then added, ‘Would you like to go and see the kids’ club again?’
Jack instantly shook his head and Nancy laughed, looking over to Cameron. ‘It was worth a try.’
He nodded, a smile spread across his face.
‘I would like to see that boy again. I want to show him my iPad.’
He had reverted back to calling him that boy. ‘Well, I am sure we can arrange that. What do you say, Cameron?’
Cameron walked into the room but stopped short of the bed so he wasn’t getting too close. ‘I think that’s a great idea. And actually, do you know what?’
‘What?’ Jack replied.
‘There is a competition this evening after dinner in the disco hall – I think it’s a baking competition or something. Aiden said that he wanted to do it, maybe you would like to take a look.’ He looked to Nancy to see if it was OK with her too. Jack didn’t look too keen, but he didn’t say no so it was a start.
‘Maybe we will go down and take a look, Jack? And you can decide when you get there if it’s something you like the look of. How’s that sound?’ She was starting to get to grips with how Jack worked in certain situations. How sometimes he needed the chance to see things first before deciding. Or how sometimes he liked to watch things from afar and join in when he was ready, not when it was convenient for everyone else. It was slowly all beginning to make sense now, but that transition between not knowing and learning had been a steep one. He nodded and then picked up his iPad, shuffling down into the bed and resuming his programme from earlier on.
Nancy gave him a kiss on the forehead and stood up, walking over to Cameron who had now walked towards the front door. ‘Are you off?’ She found herself not wanting him to go.
‘Yeah I’d better go. Plus, I think I’m going to go and get Aiden early from kids’ club, maybe take him to the boats again. We go home tomorrow so I best make the most of it, hey? Not that he will want to see me. He’ll probably be all like “daaaaad I wanna staaaay!”’ He laughed but Nancy noticed some sadness in his eyes.
‘It’s their loss, you know.’ He looked at her. ‘Your friends. And your ex.’ He pursed his lips into a smile and dropped his gaze to the ground. ‘Aiden is lucky to have you, it’s an amazing thing what you’ve done. Just remember, you’ve got people around you who do support you.’
‘Thanks Nancy.’ He stepped forward and brushed his lips on her cheek and as he did she closed her eyes and took in the sweet smell of his aftershave. Every inch of her body tingled, wanting more. But she felt herself already pulling back. She couldn’t get too close. His situation was complicated enough as well as her own – they didn’t need to make it more confusing. ‘I’ll see you tonight in the hall then?’
‘Yep, see you there.’
She closed the door and smiled to herself. After such a shitty day yesterday, maybe things were starting to look up.
‘Mum, I need a poo!’
And now she was back on mummy duties.
***
Harriet walked back to the pool area having picked up Tommy from the kids’ club. ‘Only for half an hour though Isla, because we need to go back and see how Nancy and Jack are.’
‘Ohhhhh!’ Isla did her best pouting performance and threw her arms up.
‘Isla, we’ve been down at the pool pretty much all day sweetheart, poor Jack has been inside.’
‘Tell them to come out,’ she whined.
‘I don’t think they want to.’
‘But I want to stay here!’ She stomped along the pathway, making her feelings very clear about having to end their pool time today.
‘That’s enough, Isla, stop being stroppy otherwise you won’t get this extra half hour and we can go back up to the room now.’ She was really testing her new parenting style. Stay calm, keep smiling, she repeated to herself.
‘Humph’ was the sort of noise she made and Harriet clenched her teeth. She really wanted to check her emails as she’d stayed off them all afternoon and was now starting to feel a little anxious. She also needed to sit down and advertise for a nanny – although advertising was where her expertise lay so it wouldn’t be a difficult task. Finding one on the other hand would be. Bethany had texted her after their phone call with a number of the agency her nanny came from so she could take a look. She was still getting used to this newfound friendship from her sister – it felt out of her comfort zone but she knew that in time, she would welcome the support.
They pitched up over to one side by the pool and Harriet managed to grab one of the last sun loungers. ‘OK, go,’ she said to Isla who was jumping up and down impatiently trying to get into the water. Harriet then looked at Tommy. ‘Suppose there’s no use trying to put you in the water, hey little man?’ He smiled at her and then lifted his hand and slapped her on the nose.
‘About right,’ she said, placing him on the floor and letting him play with the toys from her bag.
‘Hey,’ Nancy’s voice sounded behind her and she whipped round, surprised to hear it.
‘Hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you guys down here.’ She looked at Jack. ‘Alright Jack?’ He half smiled and then sat down on the floor on the other side of Harriet’s lounger, pulling out his sketch pad.
‘Here, perch on this one, I don’t think there are any loungers left. It’s well busy down here. We were going to do another half an hour and then come up and see you guys.’
Nancy sat down on the floor. ‘Its fine, we needed to get out of the room for a bit anyway – get some fresh air.’
‘What are you doing, sit up here you idiot.’ Harriet shifted her legs but Nancy held up her hand.
‘Honestly it’s fine. I’m OK down here.’
‘Did Cameron come and see you?’ Harriet pulled a face. She wasn’t sure if Nancy would have appreciated the little tip off she gave him about the ice cream, but she figured seeing as they were leaving tomorrow, she may as well take the plunge.
‘Yes, thanks for that.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘Oh, was it a car crash? Sorry, I thought it would be nice for you two to chat, he said Aiden was at the club and I found him kind of aimlessly wandering around looking like a lost sheep whilst his sister and that were off playing in the pool. You know, I think he struggles to shut off from work.’
Nancy laughed. ‘Coming from you?’
‘Hey, I’m getting better!’
‘I’m not having a go – just find it funny that you should notice something like that.’
‘Well I guess he is similar to me so I notice these things. I get it – it’s hard when you have a full on job to just shut off. ‘
Nancy held her hand up. ‘This is a work free zone, no work talk.’ Harriet locked her mouth and chucked the key. ‘Anyway, it wasn’t a car crash. It was quite nice. We sat on the balcony and ate our ice creams and had a nice chat.’ Harriet raised her eyebrow. ‘What?’
‘And what was this nice chat about? Did he declare his love for you – are you going to run away into the sunset and make lots of babies?’
‘Hari!’
‘What? Let me have my fantasy. It’s nearly time to go home and resume the chaotic hecticness that is my life, let me daydream one last time before my brain becomes a mush of meetings and numbers and projects.’
‘We had a really nice chat and he kind of opened up to me – he’s a lot deeper than we thought…’
Harriet sat up straighter. ‘Ooh, that sounds like you have gossip. What’s the gossip?’ Nancy went to speak but Harriet held up her hand. ‘Wait, do we need cocktails for this? Stupid question, we always need cocktails for this. Let me go grab some and you can tell me all about Mr Mysterious.’ She jumped up before Nancy could decline the offer and practically ran over to the bar.
‘Right here we go, one Tom Collins for you.’ She sat back down on the lounger and sipped her drink; it was good! ‘So, spill.’
Nancy sipped hers and shook her head. ‘I don’t want to talk about him and his private business. He’s just a deep soul.’
Harriet made a pfft sort of noise which caused Nancy to flick her head up and ask what the sound was. ‘Nance, you can’t tell me he’s all deep and then not tell me why. That’s just teasing. I’m your best mate, come on, if you can’t tell me who can you tell?’
‘I get that, I just feel bad. I don’t know if I should be telling people his stuff. I wouldn’t want him going round talking about what I’ve said.’
‘What did you say?’ Harriet questioned.
‘No, nothing. I just mean, conversations like that are private aren’t they?’ She drank more of her drink.
‘Yeah I get that, but I’m hardly going to shout it from the rooftops am I? I just want to know a little about the man that you like.’ She held her hand up as Nancy began to protest that she didn’t like him like that. ‘I know I know, you’re just having a bit of fun, you don’t actually like him like that and blahdy blahdy blah…’
‘I just feel bad, like I’m gossiping.’
‘Well technically you are – just with me. Come on, I won’t say anything. What’s that saying … hoes before bros?’
Nancy burst out laughing, spraying some of her Tom Collins over Tommy who was sat in front of her playing with a sunglasses case. He turned round at the sudden moisture shower and Harriet couldn’t help but fall about laughing at his little reaction.
‘Oh my God, Tommy I’m so sorry!’ Nancy picked him up and gave him a cuddle as Harriet rolled back on her lounger, laughing so hard her stomach hurt.
‘Hari, I’m so sorry – you watch he’ll be rolling around later, half pissed on cocktails.’
‘Then I’ll be saying “that’s my boy.”’ She sat up and composed herself. ‘Right, anyway, you were about to tell me about Cameron. Why is he so mysterious?’
Nancy hesitated but then said, ‘OK but you don’t tell a soul and you don’t tell him that you know.’
‘Cross my heart and hope to die.’ She crossed over her bikini.
‘Aiden is adopted and Cameron’s ex left because she didn’t want to be a family anymore and he has been single-handedly raising him ever since.’ Harriet gasped. ‘Wait, I’m not even finished. Last night, he didn’t turn up to the dinner date because he found out that his ex is now pregnant with one of his work colleagues.’
‘It’s like a TV drama!’ Harriet’s mouth dropped open. ‘My God, that is juicy gossip!’
‘No! It’s not gossip, I’m not gossiping. We are just talking.’ She pulled a face. ‘Don’t make me sound like a gossiping bitch.’
Harriet laughed at her friend’s panic; she was so lovely and always trying so hard to please everyone. The fact that this had got her so worked up was kind of sweet. ‘Oh relax its fine. Wow, bless him.’
‘I know. He’s not got it easy.’
‘Well good on him for doing it. I tell you what, a doctor, a father who adopted a kid and then raised him on his own and those looks … you wanna watch your back because if you don’t want him, I certainly wouldn’t say no.’ Nancy threw her towel at Harriet who ducked to avoid it. ‘Hey, don’t be mad because you have healthy competition.’
‘I’m not, you are welcome to him if you want him – he’s not my property.’
Harriet decided to test this theory. ‘OK, great. So you don’t mind if I chat to him later and ask if he wants to go for a drink seeing as you have swanned off twice now?’
‘No.’ Nancy replied in a clipped tone.
‘And if I manage to get a kiss out of him, some holiday romance before we leave … that would be OK with you?’ She tried to hide the smile.
‘It’s fine.’
Harriet nodded and then stayed quiet. She knew Nancy inside out and knew it would only be a matter of time before…
‘But maybe I could just see where things are going with us first…’
‘I bloody knew it!’ Harriet shook her head. ‘You aren’t fooling me missy, you are well and truly besotted with the handsome doctor.’
‘I’m not, I just find him interesting that’s all – intellectually stimulating. We have some good, solid conversations and—’
‘And you want to jump on him and ravish his sexy body.’
‘Oh my God, Hari,’ Nancy said as she stood up. ‘Have you no shame?’ Harriet poked her tongue out, answering her friend’s question. ‘And have you seen your son?’
Harriet stopped in her tracks and looked to where Tommy was sitting but noticed he had moved forward slightly and was at the water’s edge, on his tummy, patting the water and splashing it, smiling away. The pool was graduated so he was able to enjoy the pool with his top half without getting his legs in. ‘Oh my God, Nance, he’s playing in the water.’ Her eyes were wide in wonder. ‘What’s happening?’
Nancy laughed. ‘He’s enjoying playing in the water.’
Harriet sat up and grabbed her phone. ‘Oh my God, I have to take a picture of this.’ She snapped it and then lowered her phone and watched him. He was having the time of his life, giggling away and splashing his hands down creating sprays of water on his face.
Harriet held out her hand and touched Nancy’s. ‘Nance, he’s doing it. He’s in the water.’ She stood up and grabbed the little water shoes out of her bag that she’d bought for Isla but that she didn’t want to wear. They didn’t do any in Tommy’s size but she had an idea. She sat down next to him and picked him up, placing him on her lap. ‘Hey little man, look at you being a big boy and playing with the water.’ She smiled at him and he smiled back. Her heart grew. ‘Let’s try something.’
She was nervous. But equally she felt a sense of confidence; she was his mummy and she should be there to help him overcome his fears. She took the little shoes and put them on his feet, all the while her heart racing with anticipation. His smile faded but he didn’t move. She used the ties on the top to tighten them as much as she could and then she used her hairbands from her wrist to tie them on his feet so they stayed on. ‘Mummy is here, let’s just try this.’ She shuffled forward on her bum, keeping her hands wrapped around his waist. She felt him tense as his feet neared the water’s edge, but she kept talking to him, telling him it was OK. Her whole body tensed as she watched his little rubber covered feet enter the water. She did it slowly, bit by bit, waiting for the wail. But it never came. He squirmed a little initially but then when he realised that the water wasn’t actually on his feet, he relaxed a little and looked at her.
‘There we go! You’re so clever! We are in the water, Tommy.’ She couldn’t dilute the excited face she was pulling and in response, Tommy looked back at her and giggled as the water rolled over his shoes.
The swell of pride that overcame her was immense. This is what parenting was all about. These moments right here. She pulled him closer and squeezed him. They were going to be alright, she just knew it.